Shloka 31
शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्
यो ऽन्यस्याः फलम् अश्नन् वै पूजयत्य् अपरां नरः इह च प्रेत्य चैवासौ तात नाप्नोति शोभनम्
yo 'nyasyāḥ phalam aśnan vai pūjayaty aparāṃ naraḥ iha ca pretya caivāsau tāta nāpnoti śobhanam
But the man who partakes of the fruit of one woman, yet offers honor and worship to another—dear one—attains nothing auspicious, neither in this world nor after death.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Kṛṣṇa warns against hypocrisy and misaligned devotion—enjoying one source of benefit while honoring another—so that dharma and integrity are preserved.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Integrity (ārjavam) and congruence between one’s conduct and one’s worship/values.
Concept: One who enjoys the fruits from one relationship/source yet offers honor elsewhere gains no auspiciousness here or hereafter—misalignment destroys merit.
Vedantic Theme: Karma
Application: Align consumption, livelihood, and stated values; avoid performative piety by ensuring gratitude and responsibility toward the true sources of support.
Vishishtadvaita: Right action and right intention are inseparable; dharma in relationships and livelihood becomes part of devotion, not merely external ritual.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse teaches that duplicity—enjoying benefits from one relationship while publicly honoring another—destroys auspicious results both in this life and the next, showing dharma as an objective moral order with real karmic consequences.
Parāśara frames it as a direct cause-and-effect: such a person “does not obtain śobhana” (true welfare), emphasizing that outward acts of honor cannot compensate for inner and practical wrongdoing.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the teaching aligns with Vaishnava dharma: auspiciousness and spiritual progress depend on living in harmony with divine order, not merely performing external acts of worship while violating righteous conduct.